Might Be of Interest (To Some)

I have peripheral-neuropathy. I have burning/pain/numbness/tingling in my feet and lower legs. Did I mention Pain? OK, didn't want to leave that out. Sometimes it feels like my feet hurt all the way to my armpits. It has also effected my hands, no pain yet just numbness. I plunk guitar. (Notice I didn't say play or pick.) I have lost my "fine" sense of touch in my right hand resulting in a lot of rotating and/or dropped picks. I had resigned myself to a life of strumming bare-handed which resulted in broken nails and shredded cuticles. THEN I found these on the internet.

Please excuse the blurry image. They are tethered guitar picks. Slip the loop on your index or middle finger, grip the pick as normal and boogie on!

Catching Up - Sorta

My last post, way back on 8/24, was concerned with my 1st visit with my new physician and my 1st visit ever to a podiatrist. The next week I had a regular appointment with my opthamologist and found out I still have no indications of retinopathy. The next day I received my lab reports in the mail and evertthing was normal (A condition with which I am not usually associated.) The biggie was that my HA1C was 6.2, the lowest that it has been since Lord knows when. (Picture a 69 yearold big guy doing a happy dance - O.K. don't, it's not the greatest image.) The next day, while attending one of those kindergarten grandparent-day thingies, I happened to run into (not very hard) a fellow T2 whom I haven't seen in a while.

Him: How's it going with your diabetes?

Me: Great, and you?

Him: Mine is still a real problem.

Me: How are your blood glucose levels running?

Him: Oh, I don't mess with that.

Me: (After recovering from a swoon) Are you eating right?

Him: I'm not real careful about that.

His wife: He ate a big bowl of rocky road ice cream last night.

Me: Well what are you doing?

Him: I just try to get my doctor to keep increasing my medications.

Me: Do you tellhim about all this "stuff" you don't do?

Him: Nah, he'd just fuss at me.

Me: (Bear in mind I'm an ordained minister) Will you let me preside at your funeral? I won't charge a dime.

Him: (Looking astonished) Ah, this stuff isn't that serious.

Me: You're forgetting the eleventh commandment.

Him: What's that?

Me: What goeth around Cometh around.

I'll Try This One more Time

Last night I had one of those “Oh Rats” moments. I was almost finished typing a new post when I noticed that I had several windows open. (Laptop screen – Not house) I started closing windows and, sure enough, I closed the one with the new post. “OH RATS” Actually. “rats” was not the word I used. Feel free to substitute your favorite expletive. The post was about my first visit with my new primary care physician. My prior physician has become the medical director of a large prestigious hospital in our area. I had a very good first impression of my new guy. He proved to be very knowledgeable about diabetes and all the extra “stuff” that comes with it. Also, he, like my previous doc, listens. They both realize that a PWD has more insight as to what is going on with their body and what works in controlling their disease than anyone else. I did manage to score an Accu-Chet Nano meter. It will be a welcome addition to my management routine. I’ve been using a Compact Plus (See my post of 8/18) and have been very pleased but that sucker is kind of large to carry around. Now I have one that is extremely small and light weight and can load data into the same software program. Yesterday I also had my first visit with a podiatrist, I’ve been diagnosed for over 15 years so it’s about time. The visit was prompted by a small black spot that appeared on my right big toe. It was just a hematoma that was quickly and painlessly removed by the quick flip of a scalpel. I do realize that professional foot-care is something I need to add to my regimen of care.

YUCK

TOYS!!!

One of the few benefits, if you are a male, of being a PWD (Wouldn’t that be a MPWD?) is that you get nifty toys to use in your control regimen. Yes, I’ll admit that we guys never really quit being boys. I’ll be 69 next month and I still like toys. My latest is an ACCU CHEK Compact Plus Blood Glucose Meter. This was supplied by Liberty Medical, my source for testing supplies since I became eligible for Medicare. Between Medicare and Blue Cross/Blue Shield I am truly blessed out-of-pocket expense wise.

I’ve been quite pleased with the device. The display is bright and easy to read. The 17 strip cartridge is easy to handle. The lancing device is attached so you can’t lose and/or forget it. The lancets that fit it are virtually painless. I have cross checked the accuracy against other meters (One does tend to accumulate them),  and it seems to be spot on. I invested a little money in Roche’s 360 software and the interface works great.

The only disadvantage is that it is a little cumbersome. Being a guy and not usually carrying a purse, I carry a One Touch Ultra-Mini when I’m not wearing enough pockets. Yeah, I do have a “go-bag” but it’s not always convenient to take everywhere.

On the whole I give it 4 ½ out of 5 stars.

Should I Be Ashamed?

I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when the awful news of President Kennedy being shot and later the announcement of his death came on TV. The same goes for the assassination of Dr. King, Bobby Kennedy and the attempt on President Reagan. Ditto for when the Eagle landed on the moon.

Try as I might, however, I cannot remember when I was diagnosed as being diabetic. I have noticed that most folks who blog about diabetes know the day, month, year and (in some cases) the time of day. It wasn't that it didn't have a major impact on me, it did. The impact, however, was in reality a positive one. It was a relief to find out why the weird things that my body was going through were happening.

I do know that it was approximately 15 or 16 years ago. Like everyone else I have had my highs and lows. (No pun intended - Well maybe a little) The highs mostly occurring in the first legs of the journey when control was relatively easy; a couple of pills a day and watch what I ate. The lows started happening several years into the trip and could probably be attributed to my taking the disease for granted.

This lack of attention culminated with a week long hospital stay with 4 mega powered antibiotics alternately being pumped into my veins in order to bring under control an infection that started in my lower left leg and that had become, because I ignored it, systemic. My hospitalist MD, also referred to as MY HERO, explained that they were trying to "savey my leg."

They did!

Since that adventure 3 years ago I have been a very good boy.(Almost 69 years old but still a boy) My pancreas has started fading into the sunset and Lantus has taken the place of part of my oral medication. When I look at my condition I can truthfully say that I am in better shape than the majority of my friends that are my age who do not have diabetes.

Diabetes has changed my life but certainly has not ruined it.